A PENSIONER who fell in Macclesfield town centre endured an agonising 90-minute wait for an ambulance with a broken arm and head injury - after medics were twice diverted to other calls.

Elsie Mort, 71, of Newbiggin Way, tripped on Chestergate during a torrential rainstorm.

But after an emergency services operator advised she should not be moved, she had no choice but to lie on the wet pavement as shoppers sheltered her with their umbrellas.

She waited for so long that police had taken her to hospital by the time medics arrived on the scene.

The mother-of-one , who had been out shopping with sister Edna Few, 76, said: “I was wet through sitting on the pavement.

“It was absolutely throwing it down and all these people were crowding round me to keep me dry – if it hadn't have been for them I don't know what would have happened.”

Retired machinist Elsie, who is terrified of thunderstorms, added: “They kept saying it would be here in 20 minutes but they never came. I was in a great deal of pain and just wanted to move.”

Elsie, who fractured her humerus in four places, said: “I would just like to thank everybody who stopped and helped, they were all wet through while they were trying to keep my dry.”

Warren Guivey, 45, of Tytherington drive, stopped to help.

He said: “It was horrible. It was very distressing for all of us. There is no way she should have been left sitting outside in the pouring rain – she was freezing cold. She was semi-conscious with blood coming out of her head.”

The father-of-three added: “It's ridiculous, when they turned up and I told them 'you ' re about an hour too late mate.'

“I'm absolutely seething – I've made a complaint about it, it's not acceptable.”

The emergency services log shows they were called at 1.57pm on Tuesday, September 1, but an ambulance did not arrive until 3.46pm.

Julie Treharne, acting area communications and PPI lead for the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) said: “The Trust would like to apologise to the patient and her family for the delay in attending. An ambulance was allocated on two occasions but both were diverted to life threatening calls in the area.

“This incident has been raised with our Patient and Liaison Service and we have also received a formal complaint from an advocate of the patient which we will respond to in line with Trust procedures.”